Ill winds blow some good to Staten Island family

Joseph Davis, with his wife, Trisha, displays his recently found wedding ring as they are reunited with the minister who married them 30 years ago, Pastor Tom Omholt, center.Staten Island Advance/Irving Silverstein

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Midland Beach resident Joseph Davis said he had a vivid premonition several years ago that a major storm would hit Staten Island.

Although he had an architect draw up plans to protect against the calamity he envisioned, Davis hit roadblocks with the state. Then Hurricane Sandy destroyed his longtime bungalow on Freeborn Street before his plans could take shape.

While his family lost most of their worldly possessions in the hurricane, amid the devastation were a "lucky find" and a sentimental reunion that brightened their otherwise dark experience.

It all started in the aftermath of the storm, when Davis' daughter April Davis, living in Bethlehem, Pa., connected with various volunteer groups, including Staten Island Friends Together. The group listed the Davis family home on its website as one that was severely damaged in the storm. "Every piece of Sheetrock and every piece of furniture had to be completely gutted," said Ms. Davis. "The house is not livable right now."

While volunteers were shoveling out drywall through the windows of the one-story home, out of the rubble bounced a shiny gold ring. Upon inspection, Joseph Davis realized it was his wedding ring, which he thought had been stolen from his home many years ago.

"It was missing for years, but when it turned up in the Sheetrock I couldn't believe it. I was in shock," said Davis, a school-bus driver, who lived in the house with his wife, Trisha, two of his three daughters (one of them in a wheelchair), a grandson and a home health aide.

As much elation as the find engendered, Davis said the next storm-related occurrence was even more meaningful.

Though SIFT, St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Washington, D.C., obtained the Davis family's address. The Rev. Thomas Omholt, pastor of the church, who was raised on the Island, called Davis to inquire whether it would be OK for volunteers to travel north to help remove debris from the Davis home. "I was touched that a group from a Lutheran church in Washington, D.C., wanted to come here to help us. I was almost in tears," said Davis.

While Davis was chatting with a volunteer during the cleanup, he discovered that Rev. Omholt formerly worked at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, where the Davises wed in 1983.

"I said we were married by Rev. Omholt in Brooklyn. The pastor, who was helping us, said, 'That's me.' When he said that, I burst into tears," said Davis. "I believe this had to be a godsend because he came all the way from Washington and here we are together after all these years."

Of the reunion, Rev. Omholt said, "Having been raised on Staten Island, I gathered the troops after the storm hit. When we were looking for a home to repair, I stumbled upon SIFT and I found Joe Davis' home on the list. At the time, I thought I didn't know him from Adam."

Now the Davises plan to renew their vows on their 30th wedding anniversary in April at Omholt's church in Washington.

While the Davises' residence is still standing, it was badly battered in the storm: Floodwaters rose 10-plus feet inside the home, and planks from the boardwalk smashed the backyard pool and the home's exterior.

"We evacuated during the storm. The water rose only a few inches lower than my kitchen ceiling," said Davis. "I just can't believe how everything was thrown around, like a tornado had hit."

April Davis said the rebuilding effort is very important because her parents want to have the home made handicapped-accessible for her sister Debra, who has Friedreich's ataxia, a form of muscular dystrophy. "My sister lost her fitted wheelchair, her hospital bed, shower chair and commode in the storm," Ms. Davis said. "She's in a borrowed wheelchair that doesn't fit her right now."